An Unusual Night
by East-Wing-Witch
Summary: Eric kicks ass-hyperbole


Disclaimer: I don't own CSI Miami or any of the characters below except for the stranger and Humdingers itself. Please don't sue-take pity on this penniless writer, struggling like so many others to write as well as remembering to eat, sleep and even study occasionally.  
  
"Horatio?"Calleigh's voice drew Horatio out of his reverie. Looking up he found her to  
  
be standing in his office doorway, smiling at him.  
  
"Yeah? What can I do for you?"  
  
She moved into the office before answering him, giving him a chance to see  
  
Eric Delko and Tim Speedle hovering in the corridor outside.  
  
"Well, Horatio, we were wondering if you wanted to come out with us  
  
tonight." Her eyes took on a challenging gleam when she saw him about to  
  
refuse, "we wouldn't want you to be lonely, it being Halloween and all."  
  
"Yeah H, Halloween being a special night when ghosts, goblins and witches  
  
come out to play," Time chimed in, causing his supervisor to smile.  
  
"Well Speed, I think that the witch stands before us, you're the ghost, so I  
  
guess that leaves Eric to be the goblin."  
  
Calleigh chuckled wickedly at that statement.  
  
"Then you'll come with us Horatio?" Her voice took on a wheedling quality  
  
that all three of the men recognized.  
  
"You'd better say yes H, or she'll plague you forever about it," Eric said  
  
grinning at Calleigh, right on top of Tim's, "That's the voice she used to  
  
get me to swap days off with her H, even though I had plans."  
  
"Well as dire as all of that sounds I really don't think I can go. I have a  
  
prior arrangement."  
  
Calleigh lifted a cynical eyebrow. "Oh, is that so?" she drawled, "Well it  
  
had better be true or I'll curse you with my cauldron Horatio Caine."  
  
"It is true. Another time perhaps." All three looked reluctant to leave so  
  
he hurried them along.  
  
"Go on enjoy yourselves and let me finish my paperwork or I'll never get out  
  
of here."  
  
At that they left joking and laughing as they went. When they reached their  
  
cars they split up, agreeing to meet again at 9 o'clock outside of  
  
'Humdingers' the popular new club that had only recently opened.  
  
Eric had just arrived and was talking with Tim as they waited for Calleigh.  
  
After a few minutes they began to wonder what was keeping her.  
  
"Maybe we should try her cell - I mean it's not like she ever puts it down,"  
  
Tim suggested, looking at his watch.  
  
"Aw, it's only 9:07, it's only 'cause we were early that it seems later,"  
  
Eric replied.  
  
"You two were early? Whatever is the matter with you?" An amused voice  
  
drawled behind them. Tim jumped while Eric laughed at her sudden appearance.  
  
Turning around he saw Calleigh standing in front of him, a witch's hat  
  
perched on top of her head.  
  
"Nice hat", he deadpanned.  
  
"Yeah, it is, isn't it. Horatio gave me the idea," looking around she  
  
continued, "shouldn't we go in, it's beginning to get crowded."  
  
Tim shook his head as he followed the two in.  
  
Eric sat back in his chair and relaxed slightly although he never took his  
  
eyes off the dancers, even when Tim came off the floor to rest. Eric kept  
  
his eyes on the witch's hat that was sitting on top of Calleigh's head.  
  
"Would you relax man? She's not going to get hurt out there. Why don't you  
  
go dancing yourself," Tim's voice cut through Eric's concentration.  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Maybe I will in a minute. Just not right now."  
  
The other man merely shrugged, then got up to ask yet another girl to dance.  
  
Eric noted with some amusement that while Tim was not exactly the most  
  
popular guy there, he certainly wasn't ever stuck for a dance partner. His  
  
attention diverted back to where Calleigh had been. With a start he found  
  
her gone from that point and stiffened until he saw her coming back towards  
  
their table, without her dance partner.  
  
"Hey. You look as if you're having fun," he noted with a smile as she sat  
  
down with a sigh of relief.  
  
"Yeah, I am. Except that the last guy kept stepping on my feet," she  
  
laughed, grimacing, "where's Tim?"  
  
"Gone dancing - over there," he pointed to where their friend was dancing  
  
amongst the multitude. Calleigh grinned somewhat viciously. "Not  
  
quite the shy person that he leads us to believe, is he?"  
  
Eric grinned in answer, "nope! Wait 'til we tell H!" The two settled back in  
  
their chairs sipping their drinks occasionally commenting on another dancer  
  
or chatting lightly. Eric was just finished telling a joke and Calleigh was  
  
laughing wildly when a man passed their table. He glanced at Eric, then  
  
stared coldly at Calleigh. Her response was immediate. Instantaneously her  
  
laughter stopped and her head shot up to it's usual pose, every hair of her  
  
imitating a haughty, cold kind of poise that Eric rarely saw. The incident  
  
only lasted a moment or so, even though the stranger had slowed down  
  
considerably, he had continued to move.  
  
When he had passed by and had continued on until he was swallowed by the  
  
enveloping crowd of dancers, Eric looked at Calleigh sharply. Her poise had  
  
dissolved and she was staring blankly into her drink.  
  
"Calleigh, who was that?" Eric spoke gently, not wishing to startle her.  
  
When he got no answer, he pulled his chair around the table until he was  
  
next to her and repeated his question.  
  
Quiet and all as his inquiry had been, Calleigh still jumped. Then she  
  
answered evasively.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Calleigh, that wasn't 'nothing'. What was it?"  
  
She frowned at his insistent tone of voice before answering shortly.  
  
"Just someone I once knew. That's all."  
  
Eric knew that look and wisely resolved to drop the subject - for the  
  
moment. Extending a hand, he smiled, "do you want to dance?"  
  
Calleigh's smile returned as they stood.  
  
Eric was just about to unlock his car's door when he hears a man yelling  
  
nearby. When he turned he saw the man standing next to Calleigh's car  
  
yelling at her. It was the same man that had glared at her inside the club.  
  
The reason for the dispute was clear. The stranger's car was blocking  
  
Calleigh's, who was not shouting but by the looks of things, trying to  
  
maintain control over herself. Eric frowned angrily and began to stride  
  
quickly to where they stood.  
  
He was about there when the other man started gesturing wildly with his  
  
right hand. He stopped directly behind the stranger.  
  
"Is there a problem sir?" His voice was muck calmer than Eric had thought that it would  
  
be seeing how furious he felt. The other man turned and spoke with a  
  
dismissive sneer, but Eric ignored it, his eyes searching Calleigh's face.  
  
While it didn't change all that much, the strain around her eyes lessened.  
  
"No concern of yours pal, why don't you move along."  
  
Eric ignored the last part of the sentence.  
  
"It is my concern when the problem includes you shouting at a friend of  
  
mine." His voice was still calm, but harsher now. He felt like daring the  
  
other man to make a move. But the stranger merely shrugged angrily, then  
  
violently thrusting his hand into a pocket pulled out his car-keys. Eric  
  
continued to glare at him until he had pulled away. Behind him, he heard  
  
Calleigh expel a long sigh of relief.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
She nodded, then said with a slightly shaky laugh, "Maybe I shouldn't drive  
  
home after that. I might vent my anger on some unexpected driver."  
  
Eric chuckled at the thought of Calleigh experiencing road-rage.  
  
"Well, I can give you a lift home if you want."  
  
Calleigh smiled gratefully.  
  
"Would you?"  
  
"Sure. We can collect your car tomorrow."  
  
As they drove along Eric threw a sideways glance at Calleigh who had  
  
removed her hat.  
  
"So, are you still sticking to the story that this was all nothing, or are  
  
you going to explain?"  
  
He waited patiently for her to begin, which she did after a moment or so.  
  
"There's not much to tell. He was a boyfriend of mine during college. I  
  
broke up with him - didn't like his temper - and he took it kinda badly. I  
  
haven't seen him in a while; he must be in Miami on vacation, because last I  
  
heard he worked in New Orleans. Every time that I meet him he makes a point  
  
of being as rude and as unpleasant as possible.  
  
"How often do you meet him?"  
  
"Thankfully no that often. Only once or twice in the last four or five  
  
years. It's generally when I'm in Louisiana."  
  
They pulled up in front of Calleigh's front door.  
  
"Thanks for everything Eric. I'd probably be still there, using all the  
  
colourful and wonderful words that I know."  
  
"Hey, anytime Cal. You know that."  
  
She nodded mutely and smiled.  
  
"Will you be alright tonight?" At her amused look he elaborated quickly.  
  
"He won't come banging on your door in the middle of the night?"  
  
"This is the middle of the night - if not very early morning. And he, he  
  
won't."  
  
She smiled as she opened the car door then hesitated slightly before  
  
leaning across and kissing him lightly on the cheek. Then she slid out of  
  
the car and shut the door was opened she smiled back at the grinning Eric,  
  
before she went in and shut the door firmly.  
  
Eric drove off, still grinning, towards his own home, wondering what the  
  
next day would bring.  
  
Blurb: Delko kicks ass-hyperbole. 


End file.
